Because markets see value only in parts of the ocean, and not in the whole, the valuable pieces are extracted and the rest is degraded. To scale up ocean conservation, we need to level the playing field. We term this collection of tools "eco-markets."

These seem to be the earliest vehicles that drove the phrase into our public consciousness here in America. Fast forward many decades and the literal meaning has manifested itself in a very unappetizing way: People are eating their own trash.